LEPT eBulletin – June 2019

Welcome to the LEPT eBulletin!

SPOTLIGHT ON

With the help of European partners, LEPT organised a study tour to the Netherlands in May. The focus was on facilitation of electric vehicles uptake. Eight borough officers attended the tour, visiting Amsterdam, Arnhem and Rotterdam. The group was able to observe local trials on flexible charging schemes, electric taxi ranks and hear from city officers on national and local electrification strategies. A report on the study tour will be published later in June.

EU FUNDING & LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Learning and exchange opportunities

MOMENTUM Follower Cities Call The EU funded project MOMENTUM is looking at setting up new methods of analytics and planning tools for authorities to support the transition due to new mobility advances (Mobility as a Service, shared mobility services, demand responsive transport etc...). The solutions developed will be tested in four cities (Madrid, Leuven, Thessaloniki and Regensburg), and the project is looking for ten more authorities to form a stakeholder group (city pool). Involvement will allow follower cities to benefit from project findings, participate in workshops and test-out innovative tools. To find out more, click here.

CIVITAS Awards 2019 Call Four categories are open: Bold Measure (innovative and daring approach), Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement, CIVITAS Legacy and Transformation. Cities can apply until 19 July. If your borough is not yet a CIVITAS Forum member, you can join by signing the Network Declaration. Last year, Ghent (Belgium) was awarded the Bold Measure Award for its traffic management platform, TMaaS, while Banja Luka’s bicycle rental system and electric charging points were also rewarded (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

European Road Safety Summer School Taking place in Belgium from 26 to 30 August 2019, this week is dedicated to professionals working in the field of road safety. It will be an opportunity to learn about awareness raising, links with urban planning and to hear about European case studies. Liz Brooker from LB Lewisham is one of the main speakers at this event.

2019 European Mobility Week The event will be taking place from 16 to 22 September 2019. Registrations are now open for cities. The chosen theme is ‘Safe walking and cycling’, and European local authorities are encouraged to take this opportunity to test out solutions and showcase achievements.

Funding opportunities

Interreg North West Europe Read more here. The call is open until 14 June 2019. On 2 April, LEPT attended a workshop where project proposals were presented. If you wish to receive a summary, please contact us. LIFE Programme

The Environment and Resource Efficiency priority area provides action grants for pilot and demonstration projects to develop, test and demonstrate policies. Relevant topics for this call are relating to noise, air quality, sustainable road transport as well as urban public transport. It is open until 17 June 2019.

The Governance and Information priority area co-finances action grants for information and dissemination projects that aim to promote awareness raising on environmental matters. It also supports actions that aim at improving the quality of public administration for planning, analysing or reviewing activities to reduce administrative burden (e.g. Review of a regional air quality plan). It is open until 19 June 2019.

Read more here.

NEWS

UK cycling targets not being met because of lack of funding for cycling lanes In this article, the Times comments on a report recently published by the government which acknowledges that the doubling of cycling journeys by 2025 target is likely to be missed due to shrinking funding, especially in rural areas.

Over 80 new electric vehicle charging points installed in Hammersmith and Fulham The council has recently installed 81 lamppost charging points, which allow for flexibility in parking bay usage and enable the council not to have to install new street furniture. The points were funded through the joint TfL, Mayor of London and London Councils ‘Go Ultra Low City Scheme’.

Audit report in preparation on effectiveness of EU urban mobility actions A report due to come out in 2020 is currently being prepared at Brussels. It will look at the impact of European action on meeting sustainable mobility goals. Currently, inefficient travel links, congestion and pollution are estimated to cost Member States significant percentages of GDP.

App launched to boost car sharing in Scotland After San Francisco and London, Turo has launched in Scotland. The app pairs car-owners with potential drivers and takes a 25% cut on the customer end-price. Other similar apps include Hiyacar and Drivy.

New study shows positive economic impact of renewable energy usage in electric vehicle charging Using smart charging (modulating charging according to live grid demand) powered by renewable energy will have a reduced negative impact on national grids. The report commissioned by Transport & Environment and industry actors quoted in the news story also underlines the importance of second-life applications of batteries.

European project Mobility Urban Values (MUV) to begin tournament The first MUV Sustainable City Tournament began on 3 June and will finish on 21 July. Eight teams from several European cities (amongst which Rome, Barcelona or Amsterdam) will compete in a sports competition tracked by the app to determine which is the most sustainable. MUV will launch a call for follower city in January 2020, if you want to be kept informed please email us.

On-demand bus service trial starts in Sutton The service, GoSutton, will be trialled for twelve months in the South London borough. Customers will be able to book a seat in real time through an app or the phone and will be directed to a nearby virtual bus stop. The 14-seat vehicles’ route will be determined live by algorithms according to demand. Germany allows and regulates e-scooter usage The German parliament voted in May to allow e-scooters to use roads and cycle paths, with a speed limited to 12 mph. Usage will be permitted for anyone above 14 years old, provided the driver has an insurance sticker and some technical requirements (brakes, reflectors etc.).

WHAT LEPT IS READING

School Streets: Timed traffic restrictions. Toolkit for professionals – Hackney Council A guide designed by the London borough of Hackney to help transport professionals put in place temporary road closures during school run hours. The guide builds upon collaborative work done during the European funded project STARS as well as the councils’ own experience in implementing school streets. It provides step-by-step guidance for anyone wishing to take up a similar scheme.

Procurement of Innovation: Obtaining innovative mobility solutions by applying a new procurement approach – SPICE Project White Paper This White Paper (presented as a power point presentation) explores ways to procure innovation in mobility for cities. After underlining challenges specific to mobility projects such as a tendency to centralised decisions, a lack of user involvement or a high degree of uncertainty, the authors touch upon legal and technical considerations and provide recommendations.

Green Light: Next-generation road user charging for a healthier, more liveable London – Centre for London A report published by the London research centre that argues for the creation of a new per-mile charging scheme for road users. The aim of the scheme would be to see cost of driving reflect the impact it has on the city. The centre suggests that the scheme should be put in place during the next Mayoral term.

Procuring zero emission delivery of goods and services – BuyZET Project Handbook Procurement has a major impact on emissions, noise and congestion in urban contexts. This handbook, based on case studies in a few European cities, aims at providing public authorities with help on how to reduce emissions from services, goods and construction transport. It features a detailed step-by-step approach to adjust procurement rules in various contexts.

Benchmarking accessibility in cities. Measuring the impact of proximity and transport performance – International Transport Forum This report develops an innovative methodology to understand accessibility in cities, based upon usage of public transport, car, foot or bicycle to reach identified key destinations (schools, restaurant, green spaces etc.). For car accessibility, Paris scores the highest followed closely by Madrid. For public transport, London and Berlin score best.

EVENTS ATTENDED

LEPT recently published two reports on Polis working groups attended earlier by officers: one on parking management policies and the second on road safety and new mobility services. Shall you wish to receive a summary of those, please contact us.

LEPT representatives also attended the London Walking and Cycling Conference, organised by Hackney, the City of London Corporation and Steer.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Details of both free and paid upcoming events can be found on LEPT’s website.